Providing estimates for construction, and especially renovation, has traditionally been a subjective endeavor. In addition to estimating the labor required for renovation work, the provider must also estimate the materials required for the job. It is frequently not practical for the provider to accurately measure the relevant portions of the structure and build estimates from such measurements. For example, it is typically not practical to measure the dimensions of a roof or of siding—accounting for windows, doors, chimneys, etc.—in order to provide accurate estimates of the cost of materials.
For this reason, estimators rely on experience and, even then, often estimate the area with some extra margin to ensure that there is no shortage of materials for the job at hand. At the same time, a builder cannot add too much margin to their bids or they will risk losing jobs to competitors that are able to provide lower bids. For this reason, there is a long felt need for a more accurate way to estimate the dimensions, and derivative measurements, such as area and volume, of a structure in order to provide better estimates to customers.